10 Essential Songs
From “Tulsa Time” to “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” the key tracks of the smooth-as-silk country vocalist
Don Williams would have turned 81 this year. Revered as one of the finest singers of the genre, the “Gentle Giant,” who died in 2017, was known for his smooth, mellifluous vocals. Listen to his sublime phrasing in the 1980 country Number One “I Believe in You,” an Adult Contemporary crossover hit as well. That song, and nine other equally marvelous recordings, make up Williams’ 10 essential tracks.
“‘Til the Rivers All Run Dry”
Williams’ easygoing proclamations of love had a way of feeling timeless, as though their sense of calm was rooted in the knowledge that the universe would always come around. “‘Til the Rivers All Run Dry” took that theme from implication to outright declaration, as Williams vowed his love would last as long as the sun was in the sky. Reuniting him with songwriter Wayland Holyfield, with whom he shared a co-writing credit for the first time, the song – at once spare and lush with its warm electric guitar leads – opened the 1976 album Harmony. “‘Til the Rivers All Run Dry” demonstrated just how far Williams’ influence extended, particularly in the U.K., where the Who’s Pete Townshend and the Faces’ Ronnie Lane showed their softer sides with an earnest cover of the song on their Rough Mix collaboration later that year. J.G.
